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House adopts limits on local-government advocacy in ballot contests after extended debate
Summary
The House passed a substitute to SB27 clarifying what information local governments may provide about ballot initiatives and restricting expenditures that could be used to influence outcomes; supporters said it ensures balanced information, critics warned it may curb advocacy by school boards.
The House debated and passed a house substitute to Senate Bill 27 on Feb. 27, a measure establishing limits and rules for how local public entities may communicate about local ballot propositions. Supporters and the League of Cities and Towns argued the substitute provides a clear, state-model approach so both sides of a ballot issue are presented and public funds are not used for campaigning. Opponents said the bill could prevent legitimately informative advocacy by local governments, including school boards explaining the need for bond measures.
On the floor, the sponsor said the substitute mirrors the state—s initiative petition process by requiring that if local public dollars are used, information should be presented in a fair and balanced way and should not be an expenditure to influence the outcome. Several members asked for specific examples of abuses; speakers described cases where local governments had distributed pro-election literature but critics said the bill—s definitions as amended might leave too much ambiguity over what constitutes "influence." Supporters countered that language was refined in the substitute and that the League of Cities and Towns endorsed the revised text.
Representative 9 (sponsor) and other proponents argued the substitute leaves room for factual information while prohibiting spending public monies to campaign. Opponents, including members who represented school-district-heavy constituencies, said the provision could tie local boards' hands when they need to inform voters about projects such as school construction.
After floor amendments and a motion sequence to ensure the green copy correctly reflected committee changes, the House voted to pass the house substitute to SB27 by a recorded vote of 60 yes to 12 no. The bill was returned to the Senate for further action.
Floor debate included pointed exchanges about whether the state or commissions should lead on policy and whether committee decisions should be binding on the floor. The transcript records multiple exchanges, yielded and question-and-answer pairs, and a final vote tally that confirmed passage.
